reading

writing to learn (william zinnser) this is not really what i was expecting it to be and it was surprisingly engaging. broadly, this is an argument for using writing as a mechanism for learning vs. learning to the test or via standard educational practices. he highlights institutions that have incorporated writing deeply into their programs. i have a natural bias towards organizations that have a culture of writing and this is perhaps the one thing that’s intrigued me about amazon work culture from what i’ve heard from friends....

notes bookshop link i’m glad i got this on kindle, because i slogged through this for far too long. this is an amusing sequel to the rise and fall of D.O.D.O. which was done with neal stephenson as the co-author. this builds on the whole time travel via witchcraft thing which is an amusing trope that i had fun reading. superficially, the premise is kind of neat; a rogue witch who’s engaged in the government’s time travel project decides that she’s going to make witchcraft supreme and stunt the emergence of “technology”....

links, etc Why A.I. Isn’t Going to Make Art i read pretty much anything that ted chiang decides he wants to publish to the world at large. he’s been particularly critical of AI over the past few years and i have a difficult time arguing with the ground that he’s staked out. this article is well worth the time to read. it’s full of solid, nuanced perspective on the topic of art and human engagement with art....

range: why generalists triumph in a specialized world (david epstein) i had to bail on this after dragging myself well over halfway through it. i just couldn’t take the repetition any more. if there was something revelatory in the last 100 pages, my skimming did not surface it. i feel fine with this. key points/messages: subjecting your kid to focus on a single sport early in life is a bad idea....

the happiness curve: why life gets better after 50 (jonathon rauch) i’m honestly not sure what to make of this book. i was about to drop it about halfway through. the first half is a regurgitation of the “U” curve “discovery” coming at it from various angles. to summarize, happiness is a U-shaped curve that has its trough in middle age, precise placement of the trough varies to some degree by culture and seems to move slightly to the right with life expectancy and our cultural recognition of new stages of life....